Endoscopic and laparoscopic minimally invasive procedures have been used for introducing medical devices inside a patient and for viewing portions of the patient's anatomy. Typically, to view a desired anatomical site, a surgeon may insert a rigid or flexible endoscope inside the patient to render images of the anatomical site. In laparoscopic or minimally invasive procedures, visualization technologies are typically centered on the direct integration of the camera component onto the end effector of a surgical instrument, i.e. grasper, clip applier, stapler, and the like, for observing “line of sight” and immediate space in which the respective instrument interrogates tissue. Because the camera is part of the surgical instrument, during a procedure, the surgeon is required to bring the tip of the instrument close to the surgical site, thus eliminating a global view of the surgical site.
The direct integration of the camera component onto the surgical instrument may compromise the ability of the surgeon to manipulate between the camera and the surgical tools when all devices are located along a single axis. In addition, introducing the camera and the surgical tools through working channels of the instrument may compromise its flexibility. Furthermore, during surgical procedures, the surgeon often navigates the instruments through tortuous paths and, thus, the rotational orientation of the instrument may not be aligned with the expected surgical view of the anatomical site. Moreover, the presence of the camera and associated wiring within the instrument takes up space and may interfere with the procedure.
Accordingly, there is a need for an effective, hands free integrated camera/visualization approach which provides a global view of the surgical site.